Arriva has put off the introduction of its summer schedule by a month to work out a new drivers' roster.

The decision was taken after a conciliation meeting between the company and the GWU, which yesterday described the summer roster as inhumane and unacceptable.

A second meeting was held after this morning's conciliation meeting.

The summer schedule was due to have come into force this Sunday, but has now been put off to June 30.

Bus drivers who spoke to Times of Malta yesterday said the new roster meant that they would at times work 14-hour-long days with 90-minute breaks, which were too short for them to go home and spend time with their families.

They said the new roster included a shift starting at 8am and finishing at 9pm with a break of one hour some time during the day and another two in between.

Such split shifts, they complained, left them with no option but to remain at work even though they would not actually be working and, so, not getting paid.

They said the proposed roster system was not only unacceptable to them but also to Transport Malta and the Transport Ministry, which, like them, were not consulted.

The drivers said the underlying problem was a shortage of bus drivers to cover all of Arriva’s routes.